KZN premier rejects DA's call for answers

2012-08-18 17:00

Johannesburg - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize on Saturday rejected the DA's call for him to provide answers as to why charges against two provincial ANC officials implicated in a fraud and corruption case were dropped.

Mkhize criticised the Democratic Alliance, saying the party was misleading the public into believing the provincial government had a hand in the case against provincial legislature speaker Peggy Nkonyeni and economic development MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu.

Mkhize said they were looking for answers from the wrong people.

"The National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] must account for its decisions to charge, arrest and withdraw these charges," said Mkhize.

The NPA announced on Friday that acting provincial director of public prosecutions Moipone Noko had withdrawn charges against six people, including the two officials.

The group had been implicated in the Intaka case.

Holes in the case

"Upon a thorough and interrogative assessment, available evidence including consultations with some key witnesses, the acting DPP in consultation with the prosecution team felt there are no prospects of a successful prosecution; therefore these charges cannot be sustained against them during trial," provincial NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson said.

Noko was appointed in July after KwaZulu-Natal's acting head of prosecutions Simphiwe Mlotshwa was ousted, reportedly for refusing to withdraw the charges against the two politicians.

The DA said the withdrawal of the charges against Nkonyeni and Mabuyakhulu would leave gaping holes in the State's case and would make a mockery of any effort to bring those implicated in the Intaka scandal to book.

The six were linked to the sale of water purification plants to the KZN health department, allegedly at inflated prices.

Initially, 25 people were implicated in the in the so-called "amigos" corruption case, which will be heard on 1 October in the Durban High Court.

Savoi's company, Intaka, allegedly paid bribes to ensure that a contract to supply water purifiers and oxygen generators to hospitals, at hugely inflated prices, went its way.

He will go on trial with former provincial treasury boss Sipho Shabalala, who allegedly received a R1m donation for the ANC.

The provincial legislature said on Friday that it welcomed the dropping of the charges.

Comments

sharon.erwin.96 - 2012-08-18 17:11

The NPA is anything but impartial, as the Glynnis Breytenbach saga well proves. They are mulleable, and seem to obligingly look the other way when politicians are involved. So DA, you are not barking up the wrong tree after all - bark away!

Well, if there's a lack of substantial evidence then there's no sense in wasting tax payers money for them to get acquitted. The worrying factor is that a R1m 'donation' is not difficult to trace so how was substantial evidence not obtained? Couple that with a lifestyle audit and case closed. It's also worrying that the provincial government welcomed the drop

matthew.patrick.925 - 2012-08-18 17:22

It was meant to end with 'dropped charges' and not 'drop'.

lacrimose.wolf - 2012-08-18 18:19

But tax-payers will go on funding the circa R8m for their extra personal protection due to death threats. Every day we awake to a new level of absurdity

bhubesi.bhungane - 2012-08-20 13:20

As long as society is happy with shouting from roof tops and doing nothing substantial about corruption we are going to have an incompetent judiciary messing up cases, in some cases deliberately... An unprepared prosecution can be a tool for acquital... We need to learn of other platforms to fight corruption. We have seen the public defender fighting fearlessly and wining small victories. And OH, this is also not a race matter its corruption and every race in SA is in deep in corruption DA included... As long as we as society take racial sides we will be insurance that the corruption dram never ends...

irene.buthelezi.1 - 2012-08-18 17:49

Of course the clown would reject the DA's calls because he's nothing but another piece of corrupt, incompetent, thieving cANCer shyte.

Erna - 2012-08-18 17:49

And they still wonder why nobody believes or trusts them.

tw2066 - 2012-08-18 18:14

As far as the RACIST ANC REGIME are concerned they dont have to answer to anyone. The really dumb suooorters dont expect it from them.

richard.hipkin - 2012-08-20 09:08

Craig, denial is not a river in Egypt. The ANC has infiltrated the NPA, they dropping charges against the ANC elite and trumping up charges against people they don't like.

winifred.watson.9 - 2012-08-18 18:23

Surely we as the TAXPAYERS are entitled to know why these cadres have been let off the hook. This is our MONEY that has been misappropriated. It is for this very reason that corruption will never be rooted out. Our justice system is manipulated from the presidents desk, there is no real integrity there at all. Goodness how low can they stoop. This country is being pilfered left right and centre whilst the people backs are breaking to keep these elite in their wonderful lifestyle, They are very good role models for the citizens of this country. Rome burnt to the ground....South Africa is doing the same thing. Unless we can root out the cause, it will burn to ashes.

mike.clery - 2012-08-18 19:36

"Noko was appointed in July after KwaZulu-Natal's acting head of prosecutions Simphiwe Mlotshwa was ousted, reportedly for refusing to withdraw the charges against the two politicians."
That explains everything doesn't it?

Zahir - 2012-08-18 20:16

In ANC if u want to follow the rule of law u get fired if u want to break the law u get hired

sifiso.msimango - 2012-08-19 21:26

da always wants people to klap hands when it cries for rubbish, not knowing that we dont support da, and we will never will

richard.hipkin - 2012-08-20 09:10

This is not about you, but the corruption in the ANC the affexcts the poor people. But carry on, vote ANC, but stop moaning about no houses, no wate, no electricity, no food, no jobs... I don't want to see another service delivery strike ever again, it is clear from your comment that you happy with how things are.